Attention Fourth and Fifth Graders!! EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! A group of students took the initiative and decided to bring back The Lucky Clover, our student-run school newspaper. Of course, a newspaper takes a lot of work – and the small group of students will need help from YOU to create a studentrun newspaper that Cloverly Cubs will want to read. WE NEED YOU! If you are interested in writing for The Lucky Clover, we would love to have your articles. Here is what you can write about: School Events Classroom News Community Events Local & World News Book and Movie Reviews Creative Writing Rated G Video Game Reviews Restaurant Reviews Staff & Student Interviews Editorials – opinion articles Other You can also submit digital photographs WITH captions of school events. Digital submissions should be sent to Kristen_A_Delikat@mcpsmd.org Your newspaper articles can be submitted digitally or on paper. Need ideas? Go to the Kids Post, or online newspapers like Time for Kids or Scholastic and READ, READ, READ articles! HOW DO I WRITE A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE? After you have selected a topic, you will need to do some research – which may include interviewing people. Take notes and then review your research. Use a graphic organizer to help you put it all together. Here is ONE example using an outline. Try to include most of the following six parts of an article. I. Lead sentence Grab and hook your reader right away! II. Introduction Which facts and figures will ground your story? You have to tell your readers where and when this story is happening. III. Opening quotation What will give the reader a sense of the people involved and what they are thinking? IV. Main body What is at the heart of your story? V. Closing quotation Find something that sums the article up in a few words. VI. Conclusion (optional—the closing quote may do the job) What is a memorable way to end your story? The end quote is a good way to sum things up. That doesn’t always work. If you are quoting more than one person with different points of view in your story, you cannot end with a quote from just one of them. Giving one of your interviewees the last word can tilt the story in their favor. The next step is to turn your graphic organizer or outline into a well-written article. Have a parent or friend revise and edit with you. Ms. Sobieralski and Ms. Delikat are also here to help! Once your piece is polished, turn it in to the folder outside Ms. Delikat’s door marked “Articles for The Lucky Clover.” Be sure to include a headline (which tells the subject of the story), a date, and your byline (your name!). THIS SOUNDS INTERESTING BUT… WHEN DO WE WRITE? Newspaper reporters for The Lucky Clover volunteer to write ON THEIR OWN TIME! This means that articles and interviews are to be completed OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DAY! All information for The Lucky Clover will be available outside Ms. Delikat’s room on the Book Swap cart. Your first submission is due . . . Friday, January 31st! We hope to read your thoughts IN PRINT! Sincerely, The Lucky Clover Newspaper Staff